Metal-working machine.



No. 848,813: 4 PATBNTED APR. 2, 1907.

' A. 'GURRI'ER'.

v METAL WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 1908.

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- No. 848,813. PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

A. OURRIBR.

METAL WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION F'ILBD'JUNE 4. 1906.

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PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

. A. GURRIER.

METAL WORKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4 19 06.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

'PATENTED APR, 2 1907';

I A. OURRIER." METAL WORKING MACHINE.

AYPLIGATIQN FILED JUNE 4* 1906.

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No. 848,813. PATENTBD APR. 2, 1907.

A. GUR-RIER.

METAL WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB4. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-I ARTHUR OURRIER, OF MANOHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO DODGE NEEDLE OOMPANY, OF MANOHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

METAL-WORKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907,

Application filed June 4,1906. Serial No- 320.03 7.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, ARTHUR CURRIER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Manchester, in the county of Hillsboro and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in lWIetalWVorklng Machines, of which the following description, in connection with. the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a metal-working machine in which articles are automatically fed one after another from a stack or rack into position to be operated upon by a tool or similar device.

IVhile the invention may be embodied in machines adapted for operating on a great variety of articles which are to be fed from a stack to a tool and there operated on by the tool, I have herein illustrated the invention as embodied in a machine specially adapted for feeding knitting-machine needles during the process of manufacture to a tool for performing some Operation on the knitting-machine needlesas, for instance, for bending the hooks on the ends thereof.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel feeding device for feeding the needles one by one from the rack, which feeding device is adapted to feed needles of any size from the rack to the tool without adjusting or changing the length of stroke of the picker or pusher; and another object of the invention is to provide a novel device for automatically bending the ends of the needles into shape.

In all machines, so far as I am aware, that are constructed to automatically feed articles (such as knitting-machine needles) one by one from a rack the first article in the rack rests against a stop or abutment forming the end of the rack, and in order to clear this first article from the other articles in the rack as said first article is fed into position to be operated upon by the tool it is necessary to move said articles a distance equal to its full length, or, in other words, to carry the article entirely out of the rack before gripping it in the clamping-jaws preparatory to operating upon it. In such machines if articles of different sizes are operated upon it has always been necessary to locate the tool or device for operating on the articles at least as far from the rack as the longest article to be handled in order that this longest article might be cleared from the rack before being gripped in the clamping-jaws. here the articles operated on are knitting-machine needles, which, as is well known, are made in a great variety of sizes, it has always been necessary to place the tools at least as far from the rack as the length of the longest needle, and consequently much farther from the rack than is necessary when the short needles are being handled. By my invention I have provided a novel feeding-in device in which the operating-tools can be situated as close to the rack as the size and nature of the tools will permit without regard to the length of the needle being handled, and either long or short needles will be cleared from the other needles in the rack by the small movement necessary to feed them into position to be acted on by the tools. To accomplish this, I provide an open-ended rack for sustaining the needles to be fed and employ an adjustable stop-plate against which the first needle in the rack rests, the adjustment of the stop-plate permitting a long needle to be cleared from the other needles in the rack with the same movement of the picker as required for clearing a short needle from other similar needles in the rack.

The other feature of my invention relates to the means for bending the hook on the end of a knitting-machine needle, this hook-bending mechanism being so combined with the needle-feeding mechanism that the latter feeds the needles singly one by one to the former, which acts upon the needles automatically to bend the ends intot-he required hook shape. This hook-bending mechanism comprises a former about which the hook is bent, means to clamp the needles in proper position relative to the former while the hook is being bent, and means to wipe the end of the needle around the former, thus bending it to the proper hook shape. These operations are all automatically performed, and by means thereof the hooks on the needles may be very rapidly bent into shape. The former and other parts of the hook-bending mechanism are made adjustable, so that hooks of any size may be formed on the ends of the needles, and needles of any size may be operated on.

I will first describe the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view showing the operation of the means for clamping the needles in position. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing one position of the clamping-jaws. Fig. 5 is a side view of the machine. Fig. 6 is a detail of the cam mechanism for withdrawing the horn of the former from the hook after it has been formed. Fig. 7 is a detail of a cam mechanism for feeding the needles forward. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the rack for holding the needles prior to the bending operation. Fig. 9 is a section on substantially the line 00 as, Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the clamp, the anvil, and the wiper. Fig. 11 is a detail view showing more clearly the steps of the bending operation. Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Figs. 10 and 11. Fig. 13 is a view of a knitting-machine needle partially made and before the end is bent into a hook, said view showing in dotted lines the shape of the hook after being formed. Fig. 14 is a detail of the shaft carrying the wiper. Figs. 15 and 16 are plan views of the feeding-in mechanism, showing the parts in different relative positions. Fig. 17 is a sectionon line a a, Fig. 15.

I will first describe the mechanism for feeding the needles one by one from the rack to the hook-bending mechanism. The needles to be fed are shown at 28, Figs. 1, 15, and 16, and are supported in what 1 will hereinafter refer to as a rack. This rack consists of a platform 97, on which the needles are placed, and guides 29 and 30 for holding and guiding the ends of the needles.

Referring to Fig. 8, it will be seen that the guides 29 and 30 are in the form of lips or flanges which overlie the ends of the needles. The flange 30 is carried by a bar or support 96, which is adjustably mounted on the table 97, so that it can be moved toward and from the guide 29 to accommodate needles of different length, said bar 96 being clamped in any adjusted position by means of a clamping-screw 95. The needles 28 are held in the rack by means of a follower 32, herein shown as carried by an arm 33, which is adjustably secured to an arm 34, rising from the edge of the table 97. This arm 34 is slidablv mounted on the table and has connected thereto a cord 35, to which is attached a weight 36, the cord passing over a direction-pulley 94, secured to the table. The arm 34 is herein shown as having a projection which enters and slides in a suitable slot 37 in the side of the table 97. The first needle in the rack is in engagement with the edge 31 of a stopplate 93, and the needles in the rack are held closely together and are held against this edge 31 by means of a weighted follower 32. The stop-plate 93 is not supported by the table 97, but is instead supported by the fixed portion 92 of the frame 15 of the machine, as best seen in Fig. 17.

In the resent embodiment of my invention the first needle in the rack or that engaging the edge 31 of the stop-plate is fed forward out of engagement with the needles in the rack and into position to be gripped by.

two clamping-jaws by means of a picker 38, herein shown as carried by a reciprocating rod or bar 39. The clamping-jaws between which the needle is clamped while it is being operated upon are designated by 5 and 6, 5 being the fixed jaw and 6 the movable aw. The means for operating the movable aw will be more fully hereinafter described. Referring again to the picker 38, it will be seen that the rod 39 is adjustably mounted in a stand 40, carried by a slide 41, and that the slide 41 is suitably mounted in guid eways 42, carried by the frame 15 of the machine. (See especially Figs. 1 and 5.) The slide 41 is acted upon by a suitable spring 43, which tends to move the slide to the right, Fig. 5, or to retract the picker 38, and said slide is also acted upon by a lever 44, suitably pivoted to a stand 45, rising from the frame of the machine The lever 44 is actuated by a cam 46, (See Figs. 1, 5, and 7,) carried by a cam-shaft 25. The shaft 25 may be driven in any suitable w. y, and it is herein shown as having a gear 24 thereon which meshes with and is driven by a gear 26, said latter gear in turn being driven by the pulley 27, which is herein shown as being a stepped pulley in order that the mechanism may be driven at different speeds. With this construction the spring 43 normally holds the picker 38 retracted, and the cam 46 at appropriate times moves the picker forward. Said picker is so situated that during its forward movement it engages the first needle in the rack or that lying against the edge 31 and moves said needle forwardly into position between the jaws 5 and 6.

Knitting-machine needles are usually of the shape shown in Fig. 13that is, they are provided with a heel or' projection 10. The needles are preferably placed in the rack with the heel or projection 10 standing upwardly, as seen in Fig. 1 1, and the picker 38 is so positioned that during its forward movement it will engage the heel 10 of the first needle in the rack, thereby pushing said needle forward into position between the jaws 5 and 6.

One of the important features of my invention is a construction by means of which the article can be fed clear from the other articles in the rack so that it can be operated upon by suitable tools by a movement which is only sufficient to feed the article into the proper position with relation to said tools. In order to accomplish this, I use what I have termed an open-ended rackthat is, one in which the stop-plate 93 is located on a part separate from the table 97and I adjustably mount the said stop-plate 93 so that by properly adj usting it the first needle in the rack may be cleared from the edge 31 thereof, and thus cleared from the other needles in the rack by a definite movement of the picker without regard to the length of the needle.

Referring now to Fig. 16, it will be seen that the first needle lies against the edge 31 of the stop-plate 93 and that the picker 38 is in its retracted position just to the rear of the heel 10 of the needle. As the picker moves forward into the position shown in Fig. 15 it engages the heel 10 of said first needle and pushes said needle into position between the jaws 5 and 6. As soon as the end of the needle has passed by the corner 91 of the stop plate 93 the said first needle is clear from the other needles in the rack, as plainly seen in Fig. 15, and the weight 36, acting on the follower 32, serves at this time to move all the needles in the rack toward the stop-plate 93 to bring the second needle against said edge 31, as shown clearly in Fig. 15. As soon as the first needle has been cleared from the corner 91 it is free to move laterally slightly, and the edge 31 of the stop-plate acts as an abutment to hold the needles in the rack from engaging and interfering with the first needle after it has been pushed between the jaws 5 and 6. The movement of the picker necessary to clear the first needle in the rack from the edge 31, and thus clear it from the other needles in the rack, depends upon the position of the plate 93, it being obvious that in order to clear the end needle from the other needles in the rack it is only necessary to feed said needle to a point just beyond the corner 91. Since the plate '93 is made adjustable, it may be so positioned that any needle, no matter how long nor how short, may be cleared therefrom with the same movement of the picker. It will be obvious, of course, that as the plate 93 is adjusted the position of the picker or bar 39 relative to the slide 41 would have to be adjusted, the adjustable connection between said bar and the arm 40 providing for this. The edge 31 of the stop-plate is preferably inclined slightly with reference to the direction of feed, as best seen in Figs. 15 and 16, so that the free end of first needle will be held sufliciently away from the needle which is received between the jaws 5 and 6 to avoid any interference. a length that the first needle in the rack, or that which lies against the edge 31 of the stopplate, is just clear from the edge of the said guide 29, (see Figs. 15 and 16,) said guide, however, overlying the end of the second needle. hen, therefore, the picker moves forwardly from the position shown in Fig. 16

The guide 29 is such to that shown in Fig. 15, the first needle is free to be moved, but the second needle is held from movement by the guide 29. The picker preferably has a slightlyinolined position with reference to the direction of feed, as best shown in Fig. 1, and the picking edge of said picker is preferably grooved slightly, as at 47, so that as said picker moves forwardly it will readily separate the first needle in the rack from the other needles.

The needles are limited in their forward movement by means of a suitable gage 9, which is adapted to be engaged by the heel 10 of the needle. (See Figs. 15 and 11.) This gage is adjustably mounted on the portion 92 of the frame, so that it may be set in proper position to cooperate with needles of different sizes and different shapes. I have herein shown said gage as having a shank 48, which overlies the stopplate 93 and which is slotted, as at 49, said shank being clamped in position by means of set-screws 50, which enter said slots. The stop-plate 93 is made adjustable, as above described, it being held in its adjusted position by a set-screw 89, which is adapted to enter any one of a series of holes in the part 92 of the frame. In order that the plate 93 may be adjusted independently from the gage 9, I provide-spacers 870 underneath the shank 48, which spacers lift said shank sufficiently above the plate 93, so that said plate may be adjusted without lifting the set-screws 50. In Fig. 1 the stop-v plate 93 is shown as adjusted as it would be when the needles are comparatively short, and in Figs. 15 and 16 it is shown as adjusted as it would be when the needles are long.

The movable jaw is actuated at the proper time to clamp the needle in place by means of a cam 51, mounted on the shaft 25. The movable aw 6 is pivoted to theframe of the machine, as at 52, and has extending therefrom a long arm 53, which is acted upon at one end by a lever 54, that is suitably pivoted to the frame, as at 55. The other end of this lever is actuated by a clamping-cam 51, carried by the shaft 25. WVhen said clampingcam depresses the outer end of the lever 54, the inner end thereof is raised, thereby raising the arm 53, and the raising of the arm 53 swings the jaw 6 about the pivot 52, thereby closi'ng it against the fixed jaw, as will be obvious.

The cam 51 is shaped so as to give the movable jaw 6 three positions. In the first place said jaw is in substantially the position shown in Fig. 4 that is, nearly closed against the fixed jaw, the, space between the jaws being sufficient to freely admit a needle without any special friction. During this time the portion d of said cam is acting on the roll 57 at the end of the lever 54. This is the position of the jaws when the needle is being fed between them. After the needle has been fed and just prior to the bending of the hook the portion 6 of said cam engages the roll 57, thereby moving the jaw 6 into the full-line position, Fig. 3, and firmly clamping the needle in place. After the bending operation has been completed the roll 57 passes off from the high portion e of the cam, and the weight of the arm 53 causes the jaw 6 to move into the dotted-line position, Fig. 3, thereby permitting the completed needle to drop.

58 designates a needle-support which'is pivoted to a bracket 121, as at 59, and which is thrown into position beneath the clamping edges of the jaws 5 and 6, when a needle is fed between the jaws and remains in such position while the needle is clamped between the jaws and is being bent, but which is tlnown out of position when the jaws separate, thereby to allow the bent needle to drop out of the way. To accomplish these movements, the needle-support has connected thereto an arm 60, which is pivoted to an arm 61, extending from a lever 20, carrying at its end a roll 22, which is acted upon by a suitable cam 23, mounted on the gear-wheel 24. This cam 23 is so timed that when the jaws open to release the needle after it has been operated upon by the hook-bending mechanism, presently to be described, the needle-support is moved out of the way, as shown in Fig. 16, thus allowing the completed needle to drop down between the jaws, while when the pioker'is about to move a needle forward said needle-support is swung under the jaws, as shown in Fig. 16. As stated above, this feeding-in mechanism is herein illustrated as coacting with a hookbending mechanism, which will now be described. The hookbending mechanism herein shown has been especially designed for bending hooks on knitting-machine needles, although it will be obvious that by obvious modifications it may be used for bending hooks on any other small articles. Fig. 13 shows in perspective a knitting-machine needle before the hook is bent thereon, the dotted lines in said figure showing ap proximately the shape of the hook. In the present embodiment of the invention this hook is bent about a former by means of a wiper which is preferably in the shape of a roll. The needles are fed separately into juxtaposition to the former by means of the feeding-in mechanism above described, the end of the needle to be bent into hook shape being at this time between the former and the Wiper-roll and said needle being situated between the jaws 5 and 6. The roll then moves toward the former to press the end of the needle firmly against said former, and immediately thereafter the clamping-jaws close together to firmly clamp the needle in this position. While the needle is so clamped the wiper-roll moves in the arc of a circle around the former, thus wiping or bending the end of the needle into hook shape. The roll then moves away from the former, said former withdraws from the hook, and the needle-support is withdrawn from be neath the needle, the jaws open, and the needle, with the completed hook therein, drops out of the way. The wiper-roll then returns to its initial position below the former, and the machine is ready for operation upon another needle.

Referring 110w to Figs. 10, 11, and 12, in which the principal parts of the hook-bending mechanism are depicted, 3 designates the former, it being shown as having the tapered horn 4, about which the needle is bent. The wiper, which is herein shown in the form of a roll, is designated by 7, and it is normally situated beneath the former, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

The detailed description of the parts of the hook-bending mechanism will be better understood by first briefly describing the hook bending operation in connection with Figs. 10 and 1 1. The needle, the point of which is to be bent into hook shape, is designated by 8, and as it is fed into position between the jaws 5 and 6 the point of the needle to be bent passes under the horn 4 of the former 3, the latter being properly positioned so that a hook of the right size will be formed. The wiper-roll 7, which is then beneath the point of the needle, is raised up against the needle and carries the later hard against the former, the roll when in this position occupying the dotted-line position a in Fig. 11. \Vhen the needle has thus been lifted against the former, the jaws 5 and 6 are closed together to rigidly hold the needle, and thereafter the wiper-roll moves in the arc of a circle or in the dotted-line positions Z) and c, and in doing so it bends the point of the hook around the former, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 11. The wiper-roll then moves away from the former into the dotted-line position (Z, the former is withdrawn laterally until the horn is clear of the hook, the needle-support 58 is withdrawn, the jaws are opened to ermit the needle to drop, and the wiper-roll then returns to its full-line position, Fig. 11. The former 3 is mounted in a holder 12, which holder is slidably mounted in a bearing 13. (See Figs. 1 and 9.) Preferably the former is adjustably mounted in the holder, so that different portions of the horn 4 may be brought into operative position according to the size of the hook desired. The former is heldin its adjusted position in the holder by any suitable means, as by set-screws 14. The bearing 13 is carried by the frame 15 of the machine and is herein shown as adjustably mounted thereon, so that the former maybe raised or lowered to bring it into the proper position. For this purpose the bearing 13 is illustrated as provided with a screw-threaded stem 16, which extends through a bearing- ICC ITO

sleeve 17, carried by the frame 15, and which has screw-threaded thereon two check-nuts 18 and 19, by means of which the stem may be screwed up or down to vertically adjust the former and may then be clamped in the adjusted position.

As stated above, the former is made capable of movement laterally of the needle to withdraw the horn from the hook of the needle after being formed, and for this purpose the holder 12 is mounted to slide in the bearing 13. The holder is acted upon at one end by the lever 20, suitably pivoted to the frame, as at 21. The cam 24 by its opera tion serves to retract the former at the proper time to permit the completed needle to be discharged from between the jaws.

As stated above, the hook is bent by means of a wiper-roll 7. The roll is mounted to have two movementslfirst, a movement toward and from the former or from the full-line position to the dotted-line position a in Fig. 11, and, second, a turning movement about the former, this latter movement being that which bends the hook on the needle. I11 order to provide for the turning movement of the wiper-roll about the former, I have herein mounted said roll on a shaft 65, which is shown as carried in a suitable stand or head 66, the latter being preferably vertically adjustable on the frame 15. The vertical adjustment of the head 66 may be provided for in any suitable way, and I have herein shown it as having the screw-threaded stem 67, which extends through check-nuts 68 and 69, one above and the other below, the table 15. By means of these nuts the head may be vertically adjusted to any desired position and then firmly clamped in such position. In order that the wiper-roll may move into the various dotted-line positions a b c, Fig. 11, it is mounted eccentrically on the shaft 65. l/Vhile various ways of mounting this roll to get this movement might be adopted, I have herein shown it as supported ona head 70, carried by the inner end of the shaft 65. The

roll is preferably adjustably mounted on this head, so that the are that it travels in as the shaft turns'may have a greater or less radius, according to the size of the hook desired. For this purpose the roll 7 is mounted directly on a slide 71, which is adjustable radially on the head and which is held in its adjusted position by a suitable set screw 72.

73 designates a stop-screw mounted in the head 7 O and engaging the end of the slide 71, this stop-screw being to firmly hold the slide in its proper position during the bending operation.

Since the roll 7 is mounted eccentrically on the shaft 65, it will be obvious that as said shaft turns the roll will be carried into the various dotted-line positions shown in Fig.

11. The turning of the shaft 65 may be accomplished by a variety of devices without departing from the invention. I have herein shown said shaft as having at one end a gear 74, with which meshes a rack 75, this rack being slidably mounted in a suitable bearing 76 and having at its end a roll 77 to be engaged by a bending-cam 78, fast on the shaft 25. This cam 78 when it engages the roll 77 causes the shaft 65 to turn in one direction, as will be obvious, and said shaft is returned to its normal position by means of a suitable spring 79, which is fast at one end to the bearing 76 and at the other end to the rack 75. The movement of the roll 7 toward and from the needle isherein provided for by pivotally mounting the head 70 on the shaft 65, as best seen in Figs. 9 and 14. With this construction it will be obvious that by turning the head 70 about its pivot 80 the roll will be thrown toward and from the axis of rotation or toward and from the former. In order to give the head this swinging movement, it is provided with a tail 81, which is preferably of spring or resilient material, that is acted on by a pin 82, radially mounted in a bearing 83, carried by the shaft 65. The shaft is hollow and within it is a sliding wedge member 84, having at its end a cam-surface to engage the pin 82. The movement of this wed e member to the left, Fig. 9, will obvious y move the pin 82 outward radially, and thus swing the head to throw the roll toward the former. As said wedge member is retracted, the head and the roll 7 are returned to their normal positions, as shown in full lines, Fig. 11, by spring 860. For giving the wedge member 84 its movement I have shown a lever 86, suitably pivoted intermediate its ends, as at 87, and adapted at one end to act upon the end of the wedge member 84 and at the other end to be acted upon by a cam 88, mounted on the shaft 25. The wedge member 84 has a rotative movement with the shaft 65, and during this rotative movement the cam 88 is acting on the lever 86, thereby holding the roll 7 hard against the needle.

It will be noted that the end of the needle to be bent into hook-shape is slightly tapering, and the resilient arm 81 is provided for the purpose of yieldingly holding the wiperroll against the needle, so as to permit said wiper-roll to follow the tapering shape of the needle as it wipes around the former. In the actual manufacture of these needles it is difficult to make all the needles of exactly the same diameter at the point where the hook is to be bent, and if the wiper-roll had no yielding movement toward and from the former it would be very diflicult to bend all these hooks exactly alike without drawing the metal of all the needles which were a onethousandth of an inch or so larger in diameter. By providing the yielding connection between the head 70 and the wedge 85 the IIC wiper-roll will always follow the end of the needle without injuring the lat ter, and a perfect hook will be formed, even though the end of the needle tapers more or less. I regard this as a very important point of my invention. It will be obvious that it is not essential that the yielding connection should be situated just as shown in the drawings, it only being necessary that the wiper be yieldingly held in its wiping position. To eliminate friction between the lever 86 and the wedge member 84, I mount on the end of said wedge member a rotary head 90 and also support at the end of the lever 86 another rotary head 91. The bearing between these heads may be lubricated in any suitable way, and by this means the friction between the parts is lessened.

63 designates a resilient or spring member carried by the fixed jaw and preferably extending partially across the movable 6. This spring is shown as received within a groove 64 in said jaws, and it is so situated that as the needle is fed forward the point of the needle is pushed under the spring. hen,

' however, the point of the needle is raised a ainst the former, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1-1, preparatory to bending the point, the spring 63 is flexed slightly. This spring is for the purpose of making sure that the completed needle is forced out from between the jaws when they are separated. Without 'this spring or itsequivalent the completed. needles might possibly stick to the jaws.

The operation of the device will, it is believed, be clear from the above description; but, briefly stated, it is as follows: When in normal position the picker 38 is retracted, and the jaws 5 and 6 are fully opened, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3. As the shaft 25 rotates the cam 51 first operates on the lever 54, thereby to swing the movable jaw 6 into its intermediate position, as shown in Fig. 4. During this time the shaft 65, with the head thereon, is in the position shown in Fig. 14 with the wiper-roll 7 directly below the former and situated some distance there from. The cam 46 next acts on the lever 44 and through the connections above described moves the picker forward, thereby feeding a needle into position between the,

jaws, the needle being properly positioned by means of the adjustable gage 9, as above described. The cam 88 acts on the roll 95, carried by the lever 86, and the swinging movement of this lever operates, through the wedge member 84 and pin 82, to swing the head 70 about the pivot 80, thus bringing the roll 7 against the point of the needle 3 and carrying the latter against the former, the wiper-roll at this time occupying the dotted line position a in Fig. 11. At this time the high part c of the cam 51 comes into engagement with the roll 57 on the lever 54, and as the contour of I a result the jaw 6 is moved into the full-line position, Fig. 3, thus firmly clamping the needle in place. The cam 78 then acts on the rack-bar 75, and the shaft 65 is given its partial turn, thereby carrying the wiper-roll around the former and wiping or bending the hook of the needle into shape. is so shaped that it holds the shaft in this position for a short period of time, and while the shaft is thus held the roll passes oil from the cam 83, thereby permitting the wedge 85 to be withdrawn, and the spring 860 then comes into play to swing the wiperroll away from the former or into the dottedline position (i, Fig. 1 1. When the wiper-roll has been thus withdrawn from the needle and the former, the cam 23 acts on the lever 20, thereby to withdraw the former from the formed hook and at the same time to withdraw the needle-support 58 from beneath the needle. Immediately thereafter the roll 57 on the clamping-lever 54 passes off from the high portion of the cam 51, thereby allowing the jaws to separate, and as soon as they release their grip on the needle the spring 63 comes into play to kick the formed needle from between the'jaws. The cam 78 then passes off from the roll 77, and the spring 79 returns the shaft 65 to its normal position with the wiper-roll occupying the full-line position, Fig. 11, and the roll 22 also passes off from cam 23, and the spring 861 returns the former, and also the needle-support, to their normal position. The movable jaw 6 then returns to its intermediate position, Fig. 4, and the above-described operations are repeated.

By making the horn 4 of the former tapering and adjustably mounting said former and also by the adjustment of the wiper-roll 7 it will be obvious. that a hook of any desired size may be formed. I have also made provision for giving the wiper 7 more or less movement, depending on the amount of curvature desired for the hook. For this purpose I have made'the rack-bar 75 in two parts, which are adjustable relative to each other, so that the length of said rack-bar may be varied. The section of the rack-bar 75 which has the teeth thereon is herein shown as adjustably mounted on a stem or body 102, said rack-bar section being screwed in its adjustment by a suitable set-screw 103. The rack-bar section 75 is shown as having a head 104, inwhich the end of the stem 102 is adjustably mounted, as above described, and this head 104 acts as a stop tolimit the movement of the rack-bar outwardly in Fig. 1, or toward the cam 78. i

By properly adjusting the length of th rack-bar it will be observed that the amount of turning movement given to the shaft 65, and consequently the amount that the wiper 7 will be carried around the former, can be The cam 78 controlled. Further, the hook may be bent to any shape by giving the former the desired shape, as will be obvious.

While I have herein shown the feeding mechanism as being used in connection with a hook-bending mechanism, yet it will be obvious that the feeding-in feature of my invention may be used in connection With other tools or mechanisms, and so far as the claims relating to the feeding-in mechanism are concerned I do not wish to have them limited to use in connection with a hookbending mechanism. It Will also be obvious that the feeding-in mechanism can be used for feeding other articles than knitting-machine needles, and I do not wish my invention to be limited in its use to knitting-machine needles. I also wish it distinctly understood that the hook-bending feature may be used for bending into shape other articles than knitting-machine needles, and also that. while I have described and claimed one specific embodiment of the invention I do not wish to be limited to the constructional details shown, for it will be obvious that the essential movements or parts of the device may be secured from a variety of mechanical expedients.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the class described, an open-ended rack for supporting articles to be fed, an adjustable stop-plate against which the first article in the rack rests, and a picker to feed said first article free from the other articles in the rack.

2. In a device of the class described, an open-ended rack for supporting articles to be fed singly, an adjustable stop-plate supported independently of the rack and against which the first article in the rack rests, and a picker to feed said article free from the others in the rack.

3. In a device of the class described, a rack, a tool to operate on articles as they are fed from the rack, apair of clamping-jm s to grip each article and hold it stationary while acted on by the tool and reciprocating means adapted at each forward stroke to fee-d a single article from the rack to the jaws, said rack being constructed to permit said. article to be fed free from the other articles in the rack regardless of the length of the articles.

41. In a device of the class described, a needleesupporting rack, a tool to operate on the needles as they are fed from the rack, a pair of jaws to hold each article stationary as it is acted. on by the tool and intermittently-acting means to feed at each forward. movement a needle from the rack to the tool and free from the other needles in the rack regardless of the length of the needles.

5. In a device of the class described a needle-supporting rack, a tool to operate on the needles as they are fed from the rack, a pair of clamping-jaws to rigidly hold each needle dle-supporting rack, an adjustable stop-plate against which the end needle in the rack rests, and a reciprocating picker to feed nee dles one by one from the rack.

7. In a device of the class described, a needle-supporting rack, a reciprocating picker, and astop-plate against which the end needle in the rack rests, said stop-plate being adjustable, whereby it may be adjusted to permit any-sized needle to be carried clear of it by the picker.

8. In a device of the class described, a needle-supporting rack, a picker, a picker-reciprocating mechanism, said picker being adjustably carried by said picker-reciproeating mechanism, and an adjustably-mounted stop-plate against which the needle next to be picked from the rack rests.

9. In a device of the class described, an open-ended needle-supporting rack, an adjustable stop-plate having an inclined edge against which the end needle rests, a picker, and pickereciprocating mechanism.

10. In a device of the class described, an open-ended needle-supporting rack, an adjustable stop-plate having an inclined edge against which the end needle rests, a picker, and picker-reciprocating mechanism.

11. In a device of the class described, a pair of clamping-jaws, a needle-supporting rack, an adjustable stopplate having an edge against which the end needle in the rack rests, said edge being out of line with the jaws when closed, and means to feed the needles separately into the jaws free from the stop-plate.

12. In a device of the class described, a pair of clamping-jaws, a needle-supporting rack, an adjustable stop-plate having an edge against which the end needle in the rack rests, said edge being out of line with the jaws when closed, and a reciprocating picker to feed the end needle from the rack into the jaws.

13. In a device of the class described, a pair of clamping-jaws, a needle-supporting rack, an adjustable stop-plate against which the needles rest, and means to feed said needles into the jaws.

14.. In a device of the class described, a

pair of clamping-jaws, a needle-supporting rack, an adjustable stop-plate against which the end needle in the rack rests, and recipro eating means to feed said needles into the jaws.

15. In a device of the class described, a

pair of clamping-jaws, a needle-supporting rack having a guide for the ends of the needles in a fixed position with relation to the jaws, an adjustably-mounted stop-plate against which the needles rest, said stopplate holding the first needle just clear of said guide, and means to feed said needle into the aws.

16. In a device of the class described, a pair of clamping-jaws, a needle-support, means to move the latter into position beneath the jaws to support a needle and out of position to allow said needle to drop, and needle-feeding mechanism.

17. In a machine of the class described, a needle-supporting rack, a pair of clamping jaws, a reciprocating picker, means to feed needles of any length from the rack into the clamping-jaws, and means to bend the end of the needle into hook shape while held by the clamping-j aws.

18. In a device of the class described, a former, automatic means to feed individual articles singly against the former, a wiper to bend said articles around the former and clamping means to hold each article while it is acted upon by the wiper.

19. In a device of the class described, a former, automatic means to feed separate needles successively into juxtaposition to the former, a rotary wiper to act on the end of the needle and bend it around said former and clamping means to hold each article while it is being acted on by the wiper.

20. In a device of the class described, a former, means to feed an article into juxtaposition thereto and to bring it thereagainst by two separate movements, means to clamp the article in such position, and a wiper to wipe the end of the article around the former.

21. In a device of the class described, a former, means to feed an article into juXta position to said former, means including a wiper-roll to move the article angularly with relation to the direction of feed to bring it against the former and to wipe the end of said article around the former.

22. In a device of the class described, a former, means to feed an article into juxtaposition to said former, a wiper, means to move the latter transversely to the direction. of feed, thereby to press the end of the article against the former, and means to move the wiper thereafter around the former to bend the article to the desired shape.

23. In a device of the class described, a former, means to feed an article in juxtaposition thereto, a wiper, means to move the wiper transversely of the former to force the article against the former, means to clamp the article rigidly in this position, and means to wipe the wiper around the former, thereby to bend the article.

24. In a device of the class described, a

former, a wiper, means to move the Wiper toward the former, thereby to force an article against the former, means to move the wiper around the former, thereby to bend the article, and means to move the former to withdraw it from the bent article.

25. In a device of the class described, a shaft mounted for turning movement and having a yieldingly-mounted wiper, aformer supported independently of said shaft, and means to turn said shaft to cause the wiper to move about the former to bend. an article.

26. In a device of the class described, a former, a shaft mounted for turning moveme nt, a wiper mounted eccentrically on said shaft, and means operating first to move the wiper toward the former and then to turn the shaft thereby to carry the wiper bodily about the former.

27. In a device of the class described, a non-rotary former, a wiper, means operating first to move the wiper toward the former thereby to force an article against the former, and then to move the wiper bodily about the former to bend the article, and means to move the former to withdraw it from the bent article.

28. In a device of the class described, a former, a shaft mounted for turning movement, a head pivoted thereto, a wiper carried by said head, and intermittingly-acting means operating first to swing the head on the shaft to carry the wiper toward the former and subsequently to turn the shaft to carry the wiper around. the former.

29. In a device of the class described, a former, a shaft mounted for turning movement, a head pivoted thereto, a wiper carried by said head, intermittingly-acting means to swing the head on the shaft to carry the wiper toward the former, and other means to turn the shaft to carry the wiper bodily about the former.

30. In a device of the class described, a former, a shaft mounted for turning movement, a head pivoted thereto, a wiper carried by said head, and means operating first to swing the head positively on the shaft and subsequently to turn the shaft to carry the wiper around the former.

31. In a device of the class described, a former, a shaft mounted for turning movement, a head pivoted to the shaft, a wiper adjustably carried by said head, and means operating first to swing the head on the shaft to move the wiper toward the former, and subsequently turn the shaft to carry the wiper around the former.

32. In a machine of the class described, a former, a shaft mounted for turning movement, a head movably mounted on the shaft, a wiper mounted on the head, and means operating to first move the head relative to the shaft to move the wiper toward the former,

ICC

and then to turn the shaft tocarry the wiper around the former.

33. In a machine of the class described, a pair of clamping-jaws movable relative to each other, means to partially close said jaws and to subsequently fully close them, means to feed a needle between the jaws while they are partially closed, said jaws gripping the needle when they are fully closed, and means to bend the needle while gripped by said jaws.

34. In a device of the class described, a fixed jaw, a movable jaw constructed so that it will automatically open away from the fixed jaw, and automatic means to move the movable toward the fixed jaw with an intermittent movement.

35. In a device of the class described, a fixed jaw, a movable jaw constructed so that it will automatically open away from the fixed jaw, a lever engaging said movable jaw, and a cam for actuating the lever, said cam having a shape to partially close the aws and maintain said jaws in this condition for a predetermined length of time and then fully close the jaws.

36. In a device of the class described, a fixed jaw, a movable jaw constructed so that it will automatically open away from the fixed jaw, a lever engaging said movable jaw, a cam for actuating the lever, said cam having a shape to partially close the'jaws and maintain said jaws in this condition for a predetermined length of time-and then fully close the jaws, and means to feed a needle between the jaws when they are partially closed.

' 37. In a device of the class described, a pair of clamping jaws movable relative to each other, a needle-support, and means to move said needle-support to a position beneath said jaws before the jaws are closed together.

38. In a machine of the class described, a former, a wiper normally separated therefrom, means including a yielding construction to move said wiper toward the former, and means to move said wiper bodily about the former.

39. In a device of the class described, a former, a wiper normally separatedtherefrom, means to move the wiper toward the former, said means including a spring, and means to carry the wiper bodily about the former.

40. In a device of the class described, a former, a shaft, a wiper movably carried by the shaft and normally .separated from the former, means including a resilient connection to move the wiper toward the former, and means to turn the shaft to carry the wiper bodily about the former.

41. In a device of the class described, a former, a shaft, a head pivoted thereto, means including a yielding connection to swing the head on the shaft at a definite point in the cycle of operations, thereby to carry the wiper toward the former, and means to turn the shaft to carry the wiper bodily about the former.

42. In a machine of the class described, a non-rotatable former, a wiper, means including a yielding connection to move said wiper toward the former, and means to move the wiper bodily about the former.

43. In a device of the class described, a non-rotatable former, a wiper, means to move the wiper toward the former, said means including a spring, and means to carry the wiper bodily about the former.

44. In 'a device of the class described, a' non-rotatable former, a shaft, a wiper movably carried by the shaft, means including a resilient connection to move the wiper toward the former, and means to turn the shaft to carry the wiper bodily about the former.

45. In a machine of the class described, a former, a'wiper, means to move the wiper about the former to bend an article thereabout, means to yieldingly hold the wiper against the former during such movement thereof, and means to retract the wiper from the former after the bending operation.

46. In a machine of the class described, a former, a wiper, automatic means to move the wiper around the former thereby to bend an article thcrcabout, and automatic means to move the wiper radially away from the former after the bending operation.

47. In a machine of the class described, a former, a wiper, means to move the wiper toward the former and yieldingly hold it thereagainst, means to move the wiper about the former, and means to retract the wiper from the former.

48. In a machine of the class described, a former, a wiper, means to move the wiper against the former thereby to hold an article thereagainst and to hold the wiper yieldingly against said article, means to move the wiper about the former thereby to bend an article, and means to retract the wiper after the article is bent.

49. I11 a machine of the class described, a former, a shaft mounted for turning movement, a head pivoted to the shaft, said head having a resilient arm, a wiper mounted on the head, means acting against said arm to swing the head on the shaft to move the wiper toward the former, and means to turn the shaft to carry the wiper about the former.

50. In a machine of the class described, a former having a tapering portion, means to feed an article against said tapering portion, clamping means to hold the article in such position, and a wiper to bend the article about the former.

51. In a machine of the class described, a former having a tapering portion, a wiper, means including a yielding connection to move said wiper toward the former at a delinite time, and means to carry said wiper bodily about the former.

52. In a machine of the class described, a former having a tapering portion and adjustable longitudinally, a wiper, means including a yielding connection to move said wiper toward the former at a de'linite time, and means to carry said wiper bodily about the former.

In a machine of the class described, a former having a tapering horn, means to feed an article into juxtaposition to said horn, a pair oi clamping-jaws, and a wiper to acton the article and bend it around the horn.

54. In a machine of the class described, a longitudinally-adjustable former having a tapering horn, means to feed a needle into juxtaposition to said horn, and means to bend the needle about the horn.

55. In a machine of the class described, a pair of clamping-jaws, a former having a tapering horn, said former being adjust able laterally of said jaws to bring different portions of the horn into operative position, means to 5 feed a needle between the jaws, and means to bend the needle about the tormer.

56. In a device of the class described, an open-ended rack, an adjustable stop-plate fer engaging the .lirst needle in the rack, clamping-jaws, and a picker to push the needles one at a time free lh'OH'l the stop-plate and between the (slamming-j aws.

57. In a device of the class described, an open-ended. rack, an adjustable stop-plate against which the end needle in the rack rests, and a picker to push said end needle free from the stop-plate.

In a device of the class described, an open-ended rack, an adjustable stop-plate against which the end needle in t-herack rests, a pair of clamping-jaws, a picker to push the end. needle free -l'rom the stop-plate and between the jaws, and a needle-support to support the needle while thus being pushed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR CURRIER.

IYitnesses A. B. DODGE, It. M. BJLENDLE.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 848,813, granted April 2, 1907, upon the application of Arthur Currier, of Manchester, New Hampshire, for an improvement in Metal-Working Machines, errors occur in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 1, page 9, the word then should read subsequently, and in lines 4445, same page, the word construction should read connection; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 23d day of April, A. D., 1907.

' [SEAL] E. B. MOORE,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

